The Pontmercys
by BrandonMichelle
Summary: Marius and Cosette have had six lovely children and Marius is eager to see them all again after a long journey away from his family. But with every family comes all kinds of worries and arguments. Rated M in chapter two. This could be either musical or novel based, i havent decided. Reviews are nice to see.
1. The Children

**Authors note: The names of the children in this story come from a fellow fanfiction writer on this site Miss Pontmercy. I hope she isn't offended or considers it plagiarism that I've used the names. I hope if she reads this story that she can take it in good faith and appreciates the idea that her stories have inspired one of my own. xxx**

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Marius Pontmercy was travelling back home to Paris after a long trip away, he had become a very successful lawyer and he had been away working on an important case for almost a month, everything had gone well and he had won but he was glad to be coming home, he was missing his family terribly.  
Yes, he had a family with Cosette now; they had been married for ten years and they had six beautiful children together, he was glad when he heard that he would be able to get home sooner than he had thought and was looking forward to surprising his children with his early return.

He had been thinking hard on his journey home about his career, he liked being a lawyer, he liked being able to help people, but he hated leaving his family for so long. He was thinking about stepping back from big cases from now on and not taking jobs that would mean he would have to leave for long lengths of time, he could still stay a lawyer he thought, but maybe it was time to concentrate more on his family now.

He was looking forward to seeing them all again, especially Cosette. He was still as much in love with her as he was the day he married her and she was still as beautiful as ever. They had written to each other whilst he was away and she had let the children write letters too. He loved getting letters from his children, but it wasn't the same as seeing them all the time, he missed putting them to bed, he missed giving them kisses, he just missed seeing all their smiling faces and hearing the sounds of children around him.

He loved his children very much, he thought about them all during his journey home.

Marie was the eldest at 9 years old and was Marius's pride and joy. It was a wonderful day when she was born; the first time Marius held his baby girl he felt such overwhelming love for the tiny little thing in his arms. He had never seen anything more beautiful than his baby, except for Cosette of course. He had never felt more blessed than he felt the day she was born.  
She definitely took after her papa more than Cosette, she had his hair and his eyes and was less feminine than her sisters, but she was still his little girl and could be gentle and sweet like a girl should be, she was a very thoughtful child but had a habit of daydreaming just like Marius had been when he was young. She had a talent for music which must have come from Cosette and she loved to practise the piano for her mama and papa, she was also adept at reading which made Marius very proud as he was a big reader too.

Jean was his eldest boy and was 8 years old, he was named after Cosettes father which had made her dote on him more than the other children, Jean was a very kind and gentle boy, he was perhaps a little soft Marius thought but he knew he would grow up to be a gentleman and that made him very happy. He was a very smart little boy and Marius hoped he would go far with his studies, maybe he would even become a lawyer and help people like Marius did. Cosette had said that she would just be happy if her son grew up to be as good a man as her father was.

The twins were next, Isabel and Courfeyrac, they were 6 years old. It was a surprise when they were born, they hadn't been expecting two babies but as soon as both Marius and Cosette saw the tiny pair they were instantly in love. Isabel was already a great beauty and was sweet and already more ladylike than her sister Marie. She loved to play with dolls and to wear pretty dresses; she was also naturally maternal already at 6 years old and enjoyed looking after her younger siblings. She would definitely grow up to break boys hearts, which made Marius joke that she should become a nun, but he knew that she would be far too beautiful for that.

Courfeyrac was a born joker; he was a little rascal already. He was always getting into mischief and getting dirty and laughing at things constantly. He could sometimes tease his other siblings and he liked to playfight with his brother Jean and was quite boisterous when he wanted to be, but he had a good heart underneath it all and he could always charm his way back into somebodys good books when he had misbehaved too much.

Léon was his youngest boy and was nearly three years old. He was a shy little thing already and was constantly hiding behind his mothers skirts. He was a lovely boy though, very quiet and sweet and was close to his sister Isabel who liked to mother him like Cosette did. Marius thought Léon was blessed with the best features of both himself and Cosette; he had gorgeous blue eyes like his mother and dark hair like his father. He was a very precious little boy and had a sweet little smile that could melt even the hardest of hearts.

Victoire was the baby of the family and was ten months old. Cosette had a difficult birth with her even though she was the sixth baby to arrive, she took a longer time to arrive than any of the other babies and it was heart-breaking for Marius to see his wife in pain for so long. When she was born she was so very still and quiet that they had feared the worst, but the midwife was a professional and she managed to get the baby responding and they were both relieved beyond belief to hear their baby cry for the first time.  
They both agreed that she was the most beautiful baby in the world. Victoire was the spitting image of Cosette with gorgeous blue eyes and blonde hair. But there was something different about Victoire; she seemed to be developing slower than her siblings. Not physically, but definitely mentally. This worried both Marius and Cosette, all their other babies had been crawling by the time they were seven months, but Victoire was only just starting to learn it now. They both worried that perhaps Victoire was simple in the head but they tried not to think like that just yet and they kept trying to help her make progress.  
She was still a very lovely baby, and remarkably less fussy than all of her siblings had been. She was such a cuddly little thing too; she loved to be cuddled and would smile at everyone and everything, and she could bring a smile to the face of anyone who held her.

Marius's mind had wandered and before he knew it the carriage had pulled up to the front of his house. It was still early in the morning and Marius hoped he had gotten home in time for breakfast as he was quite hungry from the journey. Marius had taken a rather large trunk with him on his trip as well as a satchel bag so the carriage driver helped Marius get his belongings to the door and then Marius let himself into the house quietly, he was taking off his coat when Marie walked into the hall.

When she saw her papa her eyes went wide and she ran back into the room she had just come out of, "Papa's home!" She shouted, and then repeated it louder half a second later. "Papa's home!" Then she came running back into the hallway and ran straight into her fathers open arms.

"Marie my darling girl!" Marius exclaimed as he lifted his little girl off the ground to give her a hug and a kiss, then he heard the sound of his other children come running into the hall to join her. Jean and Courfeyrac were first, and then Isabel followed holding León's hand in hers as he was still a toddler.

Marius knelt down and tried to put his arms around all his babies at once but unfortunately they just wouldn't stretch that far, so he had to greet them all individually.

"Jean my boy, you're looking well" he hugged and kissed him too and ruffled his hair, "Courfeyrac, how good to see you", he said kissing him too, "Isabel, you look even more beautiful everyday" he said to his other daughter whilst hugging and kissing her, then he turned his attention to his youngest boy. "Léon, my baby boy, look how much you've grown! He picked up his little boy and kissed his little face before returning him to Isabels care.

"Where's your mother?" Marius asked his children. But before any of them could answer Cosette appeared in the hallway

"I'm here Marius" Cosette said whilst smiling at him. She came into the hallway carrying baby Victoire on one arm. She was wearing a simple floral dress with a corset underneath and her hair was let down but she was still looking as beautiful as the day he fell in love with her. She had changed a lot since then, giving birth to six children had changed her physically in some places, her hips had become fuller and so had her bosom, but she had still been able to keep her figure remarkably well, and Marius still thought he was the luckiest man ever to have married her.

Marius stood up again and gazed at his wife for a few seconds, just taking in her beautiful face again after a long month. He walked over to her and he kissed her passionately which made the younger children giggle and then he embraced her tightly, he had forgotten about the baby in-between them until she squealed from being caught between her parents, the two of them broke apart at Victoires cries.

"I'm sorry baby girl" Marius said as he took Victoire from Cosette "Papa missed you very much little one" he kissed her tiny face and gave her a tickle which made her laugh, he had missed hearing his children laugh and so he held his baby girl close to him.

"How was your journey?" Cosette asked but didn't give Marius enough time to answer before she asked more questions, "Are you well?" she asked touching his face lovingly, "You haven't shaved" she said disapprovingly, then she reverted back to a concerned wife "Have you eaten? We just finished breakfast but I can have the cook fix you something"

"I'd like that, thank you". He said to Cosette and smiled at her for still being as adorable as ever when it came to looking after him

He looked towards his trunk and his other belongings that were by the front door and then looked towards Jean and Courfeyrac

"Boys, can you take my trunk into the living room please? And then you can all tell me everything I've missed while I was away".

The family headed back into the dining room and while Marius ate his breakfast the children told him about the events of the past month. Marie had been getting better at playing the piano and asked if she could play for him later on which Marius said he would love to hear, Courfeyrac complained how Jean had broken his wooden sword when they were playing pirates in the garden and that had led to a fight between the two boys which made Marius look sternly at his sons, Jean said it wasn't his fault that he was a better pirate than Courfeyrac and that he was just jealous of him, which made Cosette laugh as she sat next to her husband with the baby on her lap. Isabel told her papa about how she had been teaching Léon nursery rhymes and that Léon was a very good brother for letting her play with him when Courfeyrac didn't want too.

Marius drank in the sound of his children again after such a long time and smiled lovingly at his wife, when he had finished eating he turned his attention to his children again.

"Shall we go into the living room?" he asked his children playfully, "I brought presents for you all"

The children cheered loudly and ran straight into the living room followed by their parents; Cosette carried Victoire into the room with her as she was still too tiny to keep up with her siblings. It was like Christmas day for the children as Marius opened up his trunk and various colourful wooden toys, dolls and sweets were distributed amongst the crowd of excited little faces, they were all ecstatic with their new prizes. Marius brought presents home to his children after every long trip, but it wasn't just to make them happy, although that was a bonus, no, he had an ulterior motive for keeping them occupied for a while.

Whilst the children were now distracted with their new toys Marius went to Cosette and put his arms around her waist from behind, he nuzzled against her neck, breathing her in again after so long and then he kissed her hair gently.

"Shall we go upstairs?" He whispered in her ear

Cosette smiled flirtatiously, she knew what he meant by that, he was the same every time he came home from a long trip.

Cosette went to find Nicolette, who still worked for the family, to ask if she would watch the children for a while, Marius lead Cosette by the hand as the two of them headed upstairs quickly, smiling knowingly as they did so like they were newlyweds again.


	2. Husband & Wife

Once they had gotten into their bedroom Marius locked the door and pressed Cosette gently up against it, he began kissing her roughly on the mouth and then he went down to her neck and kissed her there too, he breathed heavily against her as he felt her hair and her face with his hands.

"I missed you so much" he whispered in her ear whilst kissing the side of her face passionately

"I missed you too, I always miss you" Cosette replied, pulling him even closer to her than he already was, his stubble felt rough against her face, but she didn't mind that today, in fact she actually quite liked the way it felt against her. She was just so glad to see him again.

Marius took Cosettes hand and led her over to their bed; he gently lay her down on it and began kissing her on the mouth again whilst he unbuttoned his waistcoat. Instead of removing it though he just left it open and decided he'd rather have his hands on his wife right now instead of on his clothes.

Marius lay on top of Cosette and kept on kissing her; he pulled the front of her dress down slightly and he felt her breasts with rushed hands, his mouth kissed her front enthusiastically and he let his tongue caress the soft shapes of her breasts the way he knew she liked.  
Cosette sighed gently at this, she had really missed the feel of having him touch her, she had longed for the feel of him pressing against her. She bent her knees at either side of his waist and encouraged him to move between her legs, she could feel that he was already hard when he did so which excited her immensely, Marius meanwhile had begun kissing her face and neck hungrily.

Cosette broke away from his kisses and smiled deviously at him, "I take it you're pleased to see me then" she said as she looked downwards past his waist.

Marius continued kissing her face and neck untill he looked down as well and smiled, "Oh Cosette" he said "You have no idea how pleased i am"

Marius pulled away and sat up on his knees, he moved his hands down to Cosettes legs and let them wander underneath her dress and petticoat; he pushed them up to her waist and Cosette started to undo the strings on her drawers with her fingers untill Marius stopped her.

"Wait" he said breathlessly, placing his hands on top of hers, "let me do that".

Cosette gave him one of her coyest smiles and pulled her hands away as she watched him undo the strings slowly and then pull off her drawers like he was unwrapping a present. Marius grinned widely at Cosette who was still smiling back at him, she motioned downwards with her eyes for him to keep going and he was more than happy to oblige.

He moved in-between her legs and leaned down to kiss her gently on the inner thigh, Cosette ran one of her hands through his hair as he did this and got more excited. Marius moved his hand slowly up her leg until he was touching her in the exact spot she wanted him to touch her, Cosette gasped and trembled at this, feeling just as much passion now as she had felt the first time he had ever touched her there. Marius liked to touch her down there; he liked to feel her become wet. He had learned years ago about the importance of foreplay, he knew the wetter she was and the more excited she was then the more incredible it would feel for her when he was inside her.

He played with her down there for a little while untill she was sufficiently aroused, he could tell by the way her breathing was getting harder and the slicker she felt between his fingers that she was ready for him. He was more than ready to enter her so he took off his waistcoat and tossed it aside and then took down his suspenders, he was about to unbutton his trousers when he felt Cosettes hands down there unbuttoning them for him and he had to try with everything in him not to come inside his trousers when her hands brushed over his erection so eagerly.

_A month is too damn long to go without seeing your wife_, he thought to himself as he shut his eyes and tried to keep control of himself.

He trembled slightly and gently tugged away Cosettes hands from his crotch, she gave him a playful disappointed look as he did so and knew exactly the power she held over him, _she could be such a tease when she wanted to be_ Marius thought, he smiled at her again lustfully as he lay her back down and kissed her while he positioned himself on top of her. Usually he would have been more than happy to let Cosette stroke him down there, but he was feeling beyond ready to blow his load at that moment and he didn't want to end up finishing in her hands before they had even started anything, and so he lowered his trousers just far enough and thrust himself into her.

Cosette gasped as he moved deep inside of her again after so long, he still knew every way to make her feel passion. He took her arms by the wrist and moved them over her head, pinning her down beneath him. He wanted to feel in control and to be able to take her totally and completely so he held her wrists tightly in his own hands. Maybe a little too tightly, but Cosette didn't care at that moment, she had longed for his touch too badly to tell him any different. Marius kissed her face and her neck and whispered her name as he kept thrusting himself into her, he started out gently but was getting rougher with her the longer he kept going.  
When they were first married he would never have dreamed of making love to her this way but after ten years and six children sometimes they both liked it to be a little more rough and quicker than usual, which is why at times like this they didn't bother with the fuss of removing any clothing.  
He wasn't hurting Cosette, it's not like this was the first time they had made love like this, he knew Cosette would have told him if he was hurting her anyway because she trusted him completely. After ten years together he knew what she liked though and he always listened to the noises she would make when they were together like this so he knew right now she liked what he was doing. She was breathing heavily and gasping out his name, she wrapped her legs around his waist as if she wanted him in her deeper than he already was. She had ached for him so badly while he was away, it was so lonely in their bed without him there.

Cosette heard his breath rasping against his throat and heard his moans with every move he made inside her, Marius pressed his forehead against hers whilst he felt himself about to ejaculate, he gripped her wrists even tighter as he came hard and fast inside her that day and was glad when he heard Cosette orgasm with him, she loved the feeling of his tight grip on her and the climax he could give her combined together.

Marius kissed her lips and her neck again gently and placed his head against her chest whilst he recovered, he had let go of her wrists and now rested his arms by her sides,"That is exactly what i needed" he said breathlessly as Cosette ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feeling of him pressed against her again and smiling blissfully.

After a while Marius broke away and kissed Cosettes forehead and lips again before he leant back and pulled his trousers back up whilst Cosette rearranged her dress back the way it was, they both smiled knowingly and coyly at each other whilst they did so, both knowing exactly what they had just done with each other.  
It was nothing either of them were ashamed of when they had each other like this, they were married and they loved each other, so why shouldnt they be allowed to express that however they wanted to? They didnt want to feel like parents all the time, they both knew that they had to make time to be man and wife again too, and this was the best way to do that. They both loved their children very much but sometimes they needed to forget everything else and remember to enjoy each other again. They weren't always like this anyway, they still made sure to be gentle and tender when they wanted each other that way too.

After their clothing was back to normal Marius lay on his side and held his beautiful Cosette in his arms again after what felt like the longest month he'd ever known, he looked at her lovingly for a while just enjoying being able to see her again, and then he started telling her how he was feeling about his career at the moment.

"I can't keep going away from you Cosette", he said "I don't want to do it anymore, I miss you too badly, you and the children".

Cosette looked concernedly at Marius, "We miss you too, but…..are you saying you want to quit your job?"

Marius stroked Cosettes hair gently, "Not quit exactly, just take a step back from certain cases, only do local ones from now on so I wouldn't have to travel away from you all".

"Well that would be wonderful" Cosette said, she was about to say something else but before she could continue she noticed Marius was yawning and she smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, am I boring you?" she asked him teasingly.

Marius smiled back at her, "No it's not you my darling, I'm just tired from travelling".

Cosette smiled at him and stroked his hair "Why don't you have a sleep for a while? We can talk about this later" She told him as she raised herself up on her arm

Marius closed his eyes and nodded, practically asleep already. Cosette leaned over and kissed his temple and whispered in his ear "I'm really glad you're home, I love you".

"I love you too" he whispered back, and before he drifted off to sleep he thought about how wonderful the simple pleasures in life were, he had seen his children, he had eaten, he had made love to his wife and now he was able to sleep. Life sometimes couldn't get better than this he thought.

Cosette climbed off the bed and headed to the washroom that was to one side of their bedroom, she wanted to have a wash before she headed back downstairs to the children as she had just worked up a bit of a sweat with Marius. When she was finished she went quietly back into the bedroom and smiled at her sleeping husband for a few moments before silently leaving the bedroom and re-joining her children downstairs.


	3. Fights & Worries

Early that evening the family were gathered in the living room after dinner, Marius and Cosette had put the two youngest children to bed but the others were allowed to stay up a little longer. Marie was playing the piano for her father just like she had promised and Jean was playing a board game with Courfeyrac on the floor in a rare quiet moment for the young lad. Isabel, having lost her playmate when Léon was put to bed, was happily sitting in her papas lap while Cosette sat next to two of them.

Marie was playing beautifully, she was so talented for such a young girl and her parents were enchanted by the lovely piece she was playing, Cosette put one of her hands in Marius's and intertwined her fingers with his and thought about how lucky she was to have such a wonderful family and an amazing husband. Of course not every day they had together had been so perfect, they had argued sometimes, they had disagreements about the children and they had worries like any married couple, but altogether they had a happy marriage and they were happy with each other.

Marius brought his hand that held Cosettes up to his lips and kissed it, then Cosette leaned her head against his shoulder and he kissed her hair too. He closed his eyes and took in the splendour of the evening, he held his wifes hand in his, held Isabel on his lap and he listened to the lovely music his daughter played.

Then Courfeyrac shattered the peace when he shouted angrily at his brother "Hey you're cheating!"

Maries concentration was broken and she stopped playing suddenly and turned to her brother furiously.

"Courfeyrac, why can't you ever be quiet?" she yelled angrily. She looked upset now that her brother had interrupted her playing and was even close to tears, she had so wanted to show her papa how good she was getting on the piano and was livid that he had spoiled her moment.

"He was cheating!" Courfeyrac yelled back standing his ground.

"I was not" Jean shot back

"Yes you were, I saw you". Courfeyrac replied

"Alright you lot, that's enough" Marius said sternly, meanwhile Cosette had noticed how upset Marie was and went over to comfort her.

"Courfeyrac, if your brother says he wasn't cheating then he wasn't cheating" Marius continued, "Now stop making a fuss and apologise to your sister for interrupting her".

"No" Courfeyrac said stubbornly

"Courfeyrac, apologise to your sister right now" Cosette added sharply

"No!" the young boy replied back

Marius took Isabel off his lap and stood up, he was not going to let his son talk back to his parents like that, Courfeyrac was looking slightly less cocky now with his father standing tall above him.

"If you don't apologise now I'll give you a thrashing". Marius told his son with complete seriousness in his voice

"Marius" Cosette said softly, as if trying to dissuade him from his threat.

Disciplining the children was something that they had disagreed on many times before; Cosette had always been a warm caring mother and couldn't stand the idea of hurting a child even if they had misbehaved. But Marius, who was in truth a wonderful father too, didn't see what was wrong with a few taps on the backside when a child was being disobedient. He didn't want his children to be scared of him, but he wasn't going to let them grow up to be unruly either. He was always treading the line between father and disciplinarian.

Marius looked at his wife who was still comforting Marie and he softened, then he turned to his son again.

"Alright" He said sternly "Courfeyrac, go to your room and stay there. I don't want to hear another word out of you for the rest of the night, and don't you dare slam any doors on your way because if you wake up the baby I really will give you a thrashing, now go before I change my mind".

Courfeyrac looked towards his mother sadly who looked at him sympathetically, but she took her husbands side in this particular fight and motioned towards the door. The young boy made his way slowly out of the living room and went upstairs with his head hung low.  
Marius sat down again and exhaled sharply, he really had not wanted to argue with his children on his first day back, _but that boy had been out of line_ he thought and Cosette may have let him get away with being cheeky but he certainly wasn't going to.

Everyone in the room had gone quiet; Jean was tidying up his game while the girls just looked at their father timidly. Marius knew he had to rectify the situation quickly.

"Marie, come here" he said softly to his eldest daughter

Marie went over to her father who sat her down on his lap and wiped the tears out of her eyes with his sleeve

"You played beautifully tonight my dear" he said, smiling at his little girl "Thank you for playing for me, I'm very proud of you". He kissed Maries cheek and she smiled back at her father "Next time I go away I'll just have to bring you and the piano with me so you can play for me all the time" He continued jokingly.

This broke the tension in the room again and the rest of the children cheered up, Cosette sat down next to Marius again and sat Isabel in her lap this time. The rest of the evening continued pleasantly and soon it was time for the other children to go to bed. Cosette took the girls up to their room to help them get ready for bed and then kissed them goodnight whilst Marius took Jean up and did the same, once they were done they switched so Marius could kiss the girls goodnight and Cosette could do the same with the boys, this was their usual night time routine and Marius had missed it while he was away. Victoire didn't sleep with the other girls, her cot was in her parents room because Cosette was still nursing her and it was easier having her close by for any night time feeds.

Later that evening Marius and Cosette were getting ready for bed too, after she had gotten changed Cosette walked over to Victoires cot to check on her before putting out the lights, she was sleeping peacefully and Cosette stood over the cot and looked at her darling little girl for a while before she felt Marius put his hands around her waist, he leant his head on her shoulder so he could watch his baby girl too.

Marius smiled down at her, "She's so beautiful isn't she? How was she while I was away?" He asked quietly

"She was…..fine" Cosette said hesitantly, "She's been trying to crawl but she just can't seem to do it".

Marius sighed gently against her shoulder, Cosette smiled sadly and kept looking down at her baby, her eyes were glistening slightly in the candlelight and she looked like she was going to cry. Marius placed a hand on her hair and kissed one side of her head gently.

"You worry about her don't you?" he said quietly in her ear

A tear ran down Cosettes face and she wiped it away gently, she was still looking at her baby when she said "What if there _is _something wrong with her Marius?"

"Cosette…" Marius said softly "You can't think like that yet, she's still a baby".

"I know" Cosette said turning around to face Marius, "But what if there is? I'm scared for her Marius".

Cosette buried her head into Marius's shoulder and cried gently for a short time whilst he stroked her hair, then she realised she was being silly and pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry" She said, regaining her composure. "You've just gotten home; I shouldn't be throwing all this at you".

"It's alright Cosette, I want to hear about this" He took her hand and gently pulled her away from the cot. "Let's lie down, you can tell me what's scaring you".

Over the years the master bedroom in the Pontmercy house had been the scene of many events and dramas, Marius and Cosette had consummated their marriage there, they had discussed every one of their hopes and dreams for the future in the bed they shared and all of their babies had been born in that room too. Sometimes if one of their children had a nightmare, or there was a scary storm outside, the bed would become more crowded as their little ones would crawl underneath the sheets to seek comfort with their parents, and the family would shield each other underneath the warm blankets. Over the past month when she had felt lonely, Cosette had taken to staying up late into the night sitting on the bed with Victoire in her arms, she would look into her babies bright blue eyes that were exactly like hers but still reminded her of Marius. It had comforted her while he was away, she felt very fortunate to have her children with her but it made her feel very sorry for Marius who was away on his own.

So after the couple had gotten comfortable that night Cosette started talking about the fears she had for her youngest daughter.

"I just don't want her to have to struggle", she said "It seems like everything is harder for her, she should be crawling properly by now shouldn't she? She wasn't really asking anyone in particular that last question, she was just thinking out loud.

"Perhaps I just worry more about her because of what happened when she was born, I was so scared that she was stillborn" Cosette added, she looked at her husband who nodded as he remembered that terrible feeling that went through him the moment she was born.

"I worry about all our children Marius" Cosette said, "I worry about their future, but Marie's so independent already and I know Isabel will be able to take care of herself when she's older, and the boys will be fine because they're boys" she added with a smile on her face. "I just don't know about Victoire yet and it scares me".

Marius smiled and put an arm around his wife and pulled her close to him, Cosette pressed her head into his chest and smiled too, feeling his warmth again after sleeping alone for so long. Marius held her in his arms so gently in the same place he had held her so tightly that same morning.

"Cosette, I know you worry, but she _is_ just a baby still" He said quietly "And besides, she smiles and laughs at things doesn't she? She can recognise people when they hold her too so she can't be completely feeble. I don't think there's anything to worry about, maybe she's just a little slower than the rest of our babies".

"And even if she is feeble-minded," he continued "It won't stop me from loving her, and I know it won't stop you from loving her either".

Cosette looked up at her husband and smiled, He was right, and she knew he was right, perhaps she had just needed to hear it out loud for her own comfort.

"If she does need more help in her life Cosette we'll be there to give it to her" He added "This is what I meant earlier when I said I wanted to stop travelling so far away, I've been a great lawyer for a long time, but I want to be a great father too".

Cosette smiled at Marius again, she placed one of her soft hands on his face and stroked his hair.

"Believe me Marius, you already are" she said softly.

Marius leaned in and kissed Cosette passionately. He loved his wife so much, and he loved his family more than anything in the world, and he was tired of being away from them so much. His family was more important to him now than anything else and he had decided that they would always come first for him from now on.


	4. Brother & Sister

A week after Marius had returned from his latest journey he was awoken late one night by baby Victoire who was fussing in her cot. Marius thought this was unusual because she had been sleeping soundly through the nights for months now and was usually a very good baby when it came to her bedtime routine.

He didn't want to wake Cosette, so he decided to check on the baby himself. He quietly lit one of the oil lamps by the bed and slipped out of the bedcovers whilst she continued sleeping. There was no reason that both of them should have their sleep disturbed he thought to himself.

Marius walked over to the crib that was at one side of their bedroom and he found Victoire sitting upright with her tiny tear filled eyes looking up at him. Every time he looked at his baby daughter his heart would just melt, she was such an adorable and helpless little thing right now that he couldnt help but smile to look at her. Plus she looked exactly like Cosette which made Marius feel even more in love with his baby girl.

Marius picked up Victoire and held her close to him, "Ssssh little one" he whispered to her "Don't wake your mama".  
He checked her nappy but thankfully she didn't need a change, _She shouldn't be hungry _Marius thought, Cosette had given her a feed before she had been put to bed and that had always seen her through until the morning so this night shouldn't have been any different. He felt her forehead but she didn't feel warm so she mustn't have been ill, _what was making her fuss tonight then_? he wondered.

He sat down with her on the chair next to the crib that Cosette used for nursing her and held his baby against his shoulder, he rubbed her back and rocked her gently and she settled down quite quickly after that.

"Did you just want attention"? He whispered to her playfully, knowing he had just been conned out of sleep by his ten month old baby. "You did didn't you little one? Well I suppose you deserve lots after today my clever little girl". He kissed her gently on her tiny baby head where she had some soft fine hair growing and rocked her again to try to get her back to sleep.

* * *

It had been a big day for little Victoire, early that afternoon Marius had been catching up on some paperwork in his study that he hadn't been able to get around to during the week, he didn't usually like to spend a lot of time in his study when his children needed his attention but he didn't expect it to take up a lot of his time so he got to work. It was a lovely sunny Saturday so the children were happily playing the day away throughout the house under the watchful eyes of both Cosette and the nanny so he knew he wouldn't be distracted by them.

Jean had been happily playing with Victoire in the living room that afternoon. The dear boy had become especially attached to his baby sister since she had arrived in the family and spent a lot of his time with her. Marius wasn't sure if this was appropriate behaviour for a young boy, honestly he would have preferred it if he played more with his brothers, but Victoire seemed to get such joy out of being with her big brother that Marius didn't seem to have it in him to tell the boy off for it.

That afternoon whilst he was working, Marius's concentration was broken suddenly by the sound of Jeans voice calling out for him and Cosette.

"Mama!" he cried out "Mama come quick, Mama! Papa!"

"_What on earth?" _Marius thought as he rose from his chair, he could still hear Jean calling out as he made his way out of his study, there was a sense of urgency in the young boys voice that seemed to demand attention and Marius's immediate thought was that there was something wrong. Cosette had been distracted elsewhere in the house when she also heard the boy yelling and as Marius made his way towards the boy's voice so too came Cosette looking worried.

"What's going on?" she asked Marius with a slight panic in her voice, she too had immediately thought that something was wrong, otherwise why would the boy be shouting for them? Jean was usually such a calm and peaceful boy so this was completely out of the ordinary for him.

"I don't know", he replied "I thought you were with the children?"

As they both entered the living room together they were expecting something horrible but instead they saw Jean and Victoire both looking cheerful.

Cosette went immediately up to her son while Marius remained standing near the doorway.

"What are you yelling for?" Marius asked his son, confused about the commotion the boy had been making.

"Mama! Papa! She did it!" The boy said excitedly, barely managing to get spaces in-between his words. "She really did it, I showed her how to do it and she did it!"

"Do what? What are you getting so worked up about?" said Cosette, kneeling down so she could be at her sons level.

"Mama she crawled!" he said, pointing to Victoire. "I showed her how to do it and she crawled all the way across the room!"

Cosette gasped at this news and held her hands to her mouth for a moment. "Oh Jean, did she really do it?" she asked, taking the boys hands in hers gently.

"Yes Mama" he said softly "I'll show you".

Marius went over to his wife and sat next to her whilst Jean settled himself at one end of the room opposite from Victoire; he knelt down and called out to his baby sister whilst beckoning with his arms for her to come to him.

"Victoire" he said gently "Come here Victoire, Come here."

Victoire looked up at her brother from where she was sitting and immediately got into a crawling position, she paused for a moment as if she was getting her bearings and then to the astonishment of her parents she crawled over to her big brother like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Cosette clasped her hands over her mouth again and she felt tears of joy form in her eyes as she watched her baby crawl properly for the first time. She had worried so much about her not being able to reach this simple goal that this felt like a real achievement for her.

"Oh Marius she's really crawling" she said looking at her husband who was smiling brightly, they were both feeling so proud right then of their baby and their eldest son.

Cosette went over to the two children and kissed her sons forehead and then took the baby off him and kissed her too.

"My clever girl" she cooed to her "My beautiful clever girl! You crawled!"

Marius also went over to kiss and congratulate his baby girl, and then he turned his attention to his son as well.

"Well done Jean". He said proudly to his boy.

* * *

Later on that day Marius asked Jean to come into his study; he wanted to have a talk with the boy in private. Jean was slightly concerned about this as usually when one of the children was summoned to the study it meant they were going to be disciplined for something.

"Don't worry son, you're not in trouble" Marius said as he pulled the young boy onto his lap

Marius had never been quite sure how to give out fatherly praise to his children, having received little to none from his grandfather when he was boy it wasn't something that came easily to him, but over the past ten years he had spent as a father he had learnt that sometimes his children needed a kind father as well as a stern father so he tried very hard to give out extra praise when they needed it.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm very proud of you Jean" He said to his son. "You've been a wonderful brother to Victoire and the way you helped her learn to crawl today was remarkable. Me and your mother, well, it's made us very happy".

Jean just smiled at his father for a moment, he had always been more attached to his mother than his father but at that moment he couldn't have felt closer to his father if he tried. He felt very grown up to be having such a heart to heart talk with his father that he decided now was a good time to ask him something he had been wondering for a while

"Papa?" the boy asked, "Is Victoire feeble?"

Marius looked disheartened for a moment, that was something he and Cosette had worried about for a long time, but he had no idea until just now that the other children thought about it too.

"Where did you learn that word Jean?" He asked his son

"I heard you and mama talking about her a while ago" he told his father "It means that she's not smart doesn't it?" he added.

Marius nodded, thinking that his eight year old son was very wise beyond his years.

"So is she really feeble papa?" he asked again.

Marius decided to be frank with the boy, after all he seemed like he had earned the right to be spoken to like a man today.

"I'm afraid it's too early to tell son" Marius told him "She's still a baby right now, but she does seem to be learning things slower than the rest of you did, I don't know if that will continue for the rest of her life but your mother and I do worry about her".

Jean looked sadly at his father, and then said something Marius never expected to hear from him. "Will you still love her if she isn't smart?" he said

"Of course I will" Marius said, slightly alarmed at what the boy had said "And so will your mother, we love all of you. She's still my daughter no matter what".

Jean smiled at his father "I'll love her too Papa, no matter what. She'll still be my sister and I promise to look after her forever".

Marius felt even more proud of his son at that moment and gave the boy a hug. His son was becoming a real gentleman and there was nothing more he could have asked for from his boy than that.

* * *

Marius was lost in thought as he held Victoire that night and gently lulled her back to sleep, he looked at her again as she rested against his shoulder and noticed she had nodded off already. He stood up slowly and placed her gently back into her crib and tucked her blanket around her, whilst thinking how sweet she looked when she was sleeping.

"Goodnight my sweet girl" he whispered to her, and then he quietly made his way back to his own bed and put out the light.

Before he drifted off to sleep again that night Marius thought to himself that the only thing he found better than being a husband was being a father.

**The End**


End file.
